ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCE

MANAGEMENT
GLOBAL ISSUES,PLANNING,LAWS AND
POLICIES
 Environmental issues

FEW OF THE MAJOR GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES ARE:

 CLIMATE CHANGE
Global warming • Global dimming • Fossil fuels • Sea level rise • Greenhouse gas • Ocean
acidification • • Environmental impact of the coal industry • Urban Heat Islands • Flooding
 ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION
Habitat destruction• Invasive species
 ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES WITH ENERGY
 POLLUTION
Non point source pollution• Point source pollution
 RESOURCE DEPLETION
Exploitation of natural resources • Over drafting (groundwater) •Overexploitation
 WASTE
Electronic waste • Great Pacific Garbage Patch • Illegal dumping • Incineration • Litter • Waste disposal
incidents • Marine debris • Medical waste • Landfill • Leachate • Toxic waste •Environmental impact of the
coal industry• Exporting of hazardous waste
 LAND USE
Built environment• Desertification • Habitat fragmentation • Habitat destruction • Land degradation—
Land pollution• Lawn-environmental concerns• Urban heat island • Urban sprawl
Environmental issues
 Environmental issues
 15 Major Current Environmental Problems
 1. Pollution: Pollution of air, water and soil require millions of years to recoup. Industry and motor vehicle exhaust are the
number one pollutants. Heavy metals, nitrates and plastic are toxins responsible for pollution. While water pollution is caused by oil
spill, acid rain, urban runoff; air pollution is caused by various gases and toxins released by industries and factories and combustion
of fossil fuels; soil pollution is majorly caused by industrial waste that deprives soil from essential nutrients.
 2. Global Warming: Climate changes like global warming is the result of human practices like emission of Greenhouse gases.
Global warming leads to rising temperatures of the oceans and the earth’ surface causing melting of polar ice caps, rise in sea levels
and also unnatural patterns of precipitation such as flash floods, excessive snow or desertification.
 3. Overpopulation: The population of the planet is reaching unsustainable levels as it faces shortage of resources like water, fuel
and food. Population explosion in less developed and developing countries is straining the already scarce resources. Intensive
agriculture practiced to produce food damages the environment through use of chemical fertilizer, pesticides and insecticides.
Overpopulation is one of the crucial current environmental problem.
 4. Natural Resource Depletion: Natural resource depletion is another crucial current environmental problems. Fossil fuel
consumption results in emission of Greenhouse gases, which is responsible for global warming and climate change. Globally,
people are taking efforts to shift to renewable sources of energy like solar, wind, biogas and geothermal energy. The cost of
installing the infrastructure and maintaining these sources has plummeted in the recent years.
 5. Waste Disposal: The over consumption of resources and creation of plastics are creating a global crisis of waste disposal.
Developed countries are notorious for producing an excessive amount of waste or garbage and dumping their waste in the oceans
and, less developed countries. Nuclear waste disposal has tremendous health hazards associated with it. Plastic, fast food, packaging
and cheap electronic wastes threaten the well being of humans. Waste disposal is one of urgent current environmental problem.
 6. Climate Change: Climate change is yet another environmental problem that has surfaced in last couple of decades. It occurs
due to rise in global warming which occurs due to increase in temperature of atmosphere by burning of fossil fuels and release of
harmful gases by industries. Climate change has various harmful effects but not limited to melting of polar ice, change in seasons,
occurrence of new diseases, frequent occurrence of floods and change in overall weather scenario.
 7. Loss of Biodiversity: Human activity is leading to the extinction of species and habitats and and loss of bio-diversity. Eco
systems, which took millions of years to perfect, are in danger when any species population is decimating. Balance of natural
processes like pollination is crucial to the survival of the eco-system and human activity threatens the same. Another example is the
destruction of coral reefs in the various oceans, which support the rich marine life.
 Environmental issues
 8. Deforestation: Our forests are natural sinks of carbon dioxide and produce fresh oxygen as well as helps in regulating temperature and
rainfall. At present forests cover 30% of the land but every year tree cover is lost amounting to the country of Panama due to growing
population demand for more food, shelter and cloth. Deforestation simply means clearing of green cover and make that land available for
residential, industrial or commercial purpose.
 9. Ocean Acidification: It is a direct impact of excessive production of CO2. 25% of CO2 produced by humans. The ocean acidity has
increased by the last 250 years but by 2100, it may shoot up by 150%. The main impact is on shellfish and plankton in the same way as human
osteoporosis.
 10. Ozone Layer Depletion: The ozone layer is an invisible layer of protection around the planet that protects us from the sun’s harmful rays.
Depletion of the crucial Ozone layer of the atmosphere is attributed to pollution caused by Chlorine and Bromide found in Chloro-floro
carbons (CFC’s). Once these toxic gases reach the upper atmosphere, they cause a hole in the ozone layer, the biggest of which is above the
Antarctic. The CFC’s are banned in many industries and consumer products. Ozone layer is valuable because it prevents harmful UV radiation
from reaching the earth. This is one of the most important current environmental problem.
 11. Acid Rain: Acid rain occurs due to the presence of certain pollutants in the atmosphere. Acid rain can be caused due to combustion of
fossil fuels or erupting volcanoes or rotting vegetation which release sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides into the atmosphere. Acid rain is a
known environmental problem that can have serious effect on human health, wildlife and aquatic species.
 12. Water Pollution: Clean drinking water is becoming a rare commodity. Water is becoming an economic and political issue as the human
population fights for this resource. One of the options suggested is using the process of desalinization. Industrial development is filling our
rivers seas and oceans with toxic pollutants which are a major threat to human health.
 13. Urban Sprawl: Urban sprawl refers to migration of population from high density urban areas to low density rural areas which results in
spreading of city over more and more rural land. Urban sprawl results in land degradation, increased traffic, environmental issues and health
issues. The ever growing demand of land displaces natural environment consisting of flora and fauna instead of being replaced.
 14: Public Health Issues: The current environmental problems pose a lot of risk to health of humans, and animals. Dirty water is the biggest
health risk of the world and poses threat to the quality of life and public health. Run-off to rivers carries along toxins, chemicals and disease
carrying organisms. Pollutants cause respiratory disease like Asthma and cardiac-vascular problems. High temperatures encourage the spread of
infectious diseases like Dengue.
 15. Genetic Engineering: Genetic modification of food using biotechnology is called genetic engineering. Genetic modification of food
results in increased toxins and diseases as genes from an allergic plant can transfer to target plant. Genetically modified crops can cause serious
environmental problems as an engineered gene may prove toxic to wildlife. Another drawback is that increased use of toxins to make insect
resistant plant can cause resultant organisms to become resistant to antibiotics.
ENVIRONMRNT RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
(EMS)
 Environmental resource management is the management of the interaction and
impact of human societies on the environment. It is not, as the phrase might
suggest, the management of the environment itself. Environmental resources
management aims to ensure that ecosystem services are protected and maintained
for future human generations, and also maintain ecosystem integrity through
considering ethical, economic, and scientific (ecological) variables. Environmental
resource management tries to identify factors affected by conflicts that rise between
meeting needs and protecting resources. It is thus linked to environmental
protection and sustainability
 Environmental resource management can be viewed from a variety of perspectives.
Environmental resource management involves the management of all components
of the biophysical environment, both living (biotic) and non-living (abiotic). This is
due to the interconnected and network of relationships amongst all living species
and their habitats. The environment also involves the relationships of the human
environment, such as the social, cultural and economic environment with the
biophysical environment. The essential aspects of environmental resource
management are ethical, economical, social, and technological. These underlie
principles and help make decisions.
 ENVIRONMENTAL LAW

ENVIRONMENTAL LAW
 environmental law - or "environmental and natural resources law" - is a collective term describing the
network of treaties, statutes, regulations, and common and customary laws addressing the effects of
human activity on the natural environment.
 "environmental law" may be broken down into a number of more specific regulatory subjects. While
there is no single agreed-upon taxonomy, the core environmental law regimes address
environmental pollution. A related but distinct set of regulatory regimes, now strongly influenced by
environmental legal principles, focus on the management of specific natural resources, such as forests,
minerals, or fisheries
 ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT is the formal process used to predict the
environmental consequences (positive or negative) of a plan, policy, program, or project prior to the
decision to move forward with the proposed action. Formal impact assessments may be governed by
rules of administrative procedure regarding public participation and documentation of decision-making,
and may be subject to judicial review. An impact assessment may propose measures to adjust impacts to
acceptable levels or to investigate new technological solutions
 EIA : "the process of identifying, predicting, evaluating and mitigating the biophysical, social, and other
relevant effects of development proposals prior to major decisions being taken and commitments
made."EIAs are unique in that they do not require adherence to a predetermined environmental
outcome, but rather they require decision makers to account for environmental values in their decisions
and to justify those decisions in light of detailed environmental studies and public comments on the
potential environmental impacts
ENVIRONMENTAL LAWS
ENVIRONMENTAL LAWS
ENVIRONMENTAL LAWS
ENVIRONMENTAL LAWS
 SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
 Defined by the United Nations Environment Programme as "development that meets the
needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their
own needs," sustainable development may be considered together with the concepts of
"integration" (development cannot be considered in isolation from sustainability) and
"interdependence" (social and economic development, and environmental protection, are
interdependent).Laws mandating environmental impact assessment and requiring or encouraging
development to minimize environmental impacts may be assessed against this principle.
 The modern concept of sustainable development was a topic of discussion at the 1972 United
Nations Conference on the Human Environment (Stockholm Conference), and the driving force
behind the 1983World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED, or Bruntland
Commission). In 1992, the first UN Earth Summit resulted in the Rio Declaration, Principle 3
of which reads: "The right to development must be fulfilled so as to equitably meet
developmental and environmental needs of present and future generations." Sustainable
development has been a core concept of international environmental discussion
 Sustainable Development

 ENERGY
 Sustainable energy is the sustainable provision of energy that is clean and lasts for a long period of time. Unlike the fossil fuel that
most of the countries are using, renewable energy only produces little or even no pollution. The most common types of
renewable energy in US are solar and wind energy, solar energy are commonly used on public parking meter, street lights and the
roof of buildings Wind energy has expanded quickly, generating 12,000 MW in 2013. The largest wind power station is in Texas
and California.[ Household energy consumption can also be improved in a sustainable way, like using electronics with Energy
Star logos which conserve water and energy. Most of California’s fossil fuel infrastructures are sited in or near low-income
communities, and have traditionally suffered the most from California’s fossil fuel energy system. These communities are
historically left out during the decision-making process, and often end up with dirty power plants and other dirty energy projects
that poison the air and harm the area. These toxins are major contributors to health problems in the communities. As renewable
energy becomes more common, fossil fuel infrastructures is replaced by renewables, providing better social equity to these
community.
 ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY
 concerns the natural environment and how it endures and remains diverse and productive. Since natural resources are derived
from the environment, the state of air, water, and the climate are of particular concern. Environmental sustainability requires
society to design activities to meet human needs while preserving the life support systems of the planet. This, for example, entails
using water sustainably, utilizing renewable energy, and sustainable material supplies (e.g. harvesting wood from forests at a rate
that maintains the biomass and biodiversity) An unsustainable situation occurs when natural capital (the sum total of
nature's resources) is used up faster than it can be replenished. Sustainability requires that human activity only uses nature's
resources at a rate at which they can be replenished naturally. Inherently the concept of sustainable development is intertwined
with the concept of carrying capacity. Theoretically, the long-term result of environmental degradation is the inability to sustain
human life. Such degradation on a global scale should imply an increase in human death rate until population falls to what the
degraded environment can support. If the degradation continues beyond a certain tipping point or critical threshold it would lead
to eventual extinction for humanity.
Sustainable Development
GLOBAL SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS
 Healthy ecosystems provide vital goods and services to humans and other organisms. There are two major ways of
reducing negative human impact and enhancing ecosystem services and the first of these is environmental management
 Management of human consumption of resources is an indirect approach based largely on information gained
from economics. Herman Daly has suggested three broad criteria for ecological sustainability: renewable
resources should provide a sustainable yield (the rate of harvest should not exceed the rate of regeneration); for
non-renewable resources there should be equivalent development of renewable substitutes; waste generation
should not exceed the assimilative capacity of the environment
 ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING
 Environmental planning is the process of facilitating decision making to carry out
development with due consideration given to the natural environmental, social, political,
economic and governance factors and provides a holistic frame work to achieve sustainable
outcomes.
 Environmental planning concerns itself with the decision making processes where they are
required for managing relationships that exist within and between natural systems and human
systems. Environmental planning endeavors to manage these processes in an effective, orderly,
transparent and equitable manner for the benefit of all constituents within such systems for the
present and for the future. Present day environmental planning practices are the result of
continuous refinement and expansion of the scope of such decision making processes. Some of
the main elements of present day environmental planning are:
 -Social & economic development
 -Urban development
 -Regional development
 -Natural resource management & integrated land use
 -Infrastructure systems
 The environmental planning assessments encompass areas such as land use, socio-
economics, transportation, economic and housing characteristics, air pollution, noise pollution,
the wetlands, habitat of the endangered species, flood zones susceptibility, coastal zones erosion,
and visual studies among others, and is referred to as an Integrated environmental planning
assessment. It is the ability to analyse environmental issues that will facilitate critical decision
making.
 Environmental planning
Environmental planning procedure
An Environmental Management Plan (EMP) helps guide your ‘green' decision-making and short-
term goals.
 Screening: Determining whether a proposed project falls within the remit of the Regulations,
whether it is likely to have a significant effect on the environment and therefore requires an
assessment.
 Scoping:Determining the extent of issues to be considered in the assessment and reported in the
Environmental Statement. The applicant can ask the local planning authority for their opinion on
what information needs to be included (which is called a ‘scoping opinion’).
 Preparing an Environmental Statement:Where it is decided that an assessment is required, the
applicant must compile the information reasonably required to assess the likely significant
environmental effects of the development. To help the applicant, public authorities must make
available any relevant environmental information in their possession. The information finally
compiled by the applicant is known as an Environmental Statement.
 Making a planning application and consultation: The Environmental Statement (and the
application for development to which it relates) must be publicised. The statutory ‘Consultation
Bodies’ and the public must be given an opportunity to give their views about the proposed
development and the Environmental Statement.
 Decision making: The Environmental Statement, together with any other information which is
relevant to the decision, comments and representations made on it, must be taken into account by
the local planning authority and/or the Secretary of State in deciding whether or not to give
consent for the development. The public must be informed of the decision and the main reasons
for it.
 ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY
 Environmental policy refers to the commitment of an organization to the laws, regulations, and other
policy mechanisms concerning environmental issues. These issues generally include air and water
pollution, solid waste management, biodiversity, ecosystem management, maintenance of biodiversity,
the protection of natural resources, wildlife and endangered species. Policies concerning energy or
regulation of toxic substances including pesticides and many types of industrial waste are part of the
topic of environmental policy. This policy can be deliberately taken to direct and oversee human
activities and thereby prevent harmful effects on the biophysical environment and natural resources, as
well as to make sure that changes in the environment do not have harmful effects on humans
 It is useful to consider that environmental policy comprises two major terms: environment and policy.
Environment refers to the physical ecosystems, but can also take into consideration the social dimension
(quality of life, health) and an economic dimension (resource management, biodiversity). Policy can be
defined as a "course of action or principle adopted or proposed by a government, party, business or
individual". Thus, environmental policy focuses on problems arising from human impact on the
environment, which retroacts onto human society by having a (negative) impact on human values such
as good health or the 'clean and green' environment.
 Environmental issues generally addressed by environmental policy include (but are not limited
to) air and water pollution, waste management, ecosystem management, biodiversity protection, the
protection of natural resources, wildlife and endangered species, and the preservation of these natural
resources for future generations. Relatively recently, environmental policy has also attended to the
communication of environmental issues
MANAGE
 Ar.PARTHIBA CHAKRABORTY
E.V.S
4TH SEM,SPRING SEM

#S T A YG R E E N
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